Search For Justice

Strengthening child rights governance requires stronger coordination, accountability, and implementation mechanisms at the provincial level. Under the @EUPakistan 🇪🇺 funded #HuqooqePakistanII project, #UNDPinPakistan partnered with @sfjpk to host a provincial briefing on the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child’s Concluding Observations to Pakistan at the Shaista Ikramullah Human Rights Education Centre in Lahore. Bringing together CSOs, academia, statutory bodies and government partners, the briefing aimed to support dialogue on implementation challenges, strengthen coordination pathways, and identify practical entry points for advancing #ChildRights protection in Punjab.

🛡️Protecting children requires more than policy commitments. It requires dedicated budget allocations. 🏛️ Federal and provincial governments should introduce dedicated budget lines for child protection, case management, referral systems, and inter-agency coordination. ⚖️ Without sustained financing, even strong protection frameworks fail at implementation. 📚 Investing in children is an investment in human development, social stability, and Pakistan’s future. #ChildProtection #Budget2026 #ChildRights #PublicPolicy #Pakistan @dpr_gob @GovernmentKP @GovtofPunjabPK @GovtofPakistan @CMShehbaz @MaryamNSharif @MuradAliShahPPP @PakSarfrazbugti @KPChiefMinister @CS_Punjab @nchrofficial @NCRC_Pakistan @mohrpakistan

Better awareness and stronger engagement of civil society and human rights defenders can improve the effectiveness of human rights institutions. A workshop in Lahore called for a Campus-Based Human Rights Ambassador Programme to strengthen youth engagement. #HumanRights

The Punjab Assembly has passed the Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2026 — a long-standing demand of civil society. A welcome and important step toward protecting children’s rights. Effective and timely implementation will be key to translating this progress into lasting impact. #EndChildMarriage #ChildRights #ChildProtection

On #InternationalWomensDay, Search for Justice reaffirms that protecting the rights of women and girls is central to building just and inclusive societies. Ending violence, expanding opportunities, and ensuring equal participation must remain a national priority. #IWD2026

Pakistan has strengthened laws and institutions for children over the years, yet many concerns continue to repeat across UN review cycles. In my latest op-ed in The News on Sunday, I argue that the real challenge is no longer commitment, but implementation — building systems that ensure coordination, monitoring, and sustained follow-through across federal and provincial levels. Child rights implementation is ultimately a public policy and governance challenge. Read here: thenews.pk/tns/detail/140… #ChildRights #Pakistan #Governance #CRC @UNICEF_Pakistan @mohrpakistan @AzamNazeerTarar @EUPakistan @AusHCPak @NorwayinPak @SwedenAmbPK @SwissAmbPak @GermanyinPAK @anjamyrtveit @BrAqeelMalik @AyeshaRaza13 @RabiyaJaveri @nchrofficial @kpcpwc @SindhChild @bohotsaara @SarahAhmad_CPWB @dpr_gob @ChildRightsCnct @UNChildRights1 @ArigatouGNRC

Devolution was intended to bring governance closer to citizens. In child protection, it has too often produced fragmented systems without clear stewardship. Pakistan now needs national child protection standards to ensure consistency, accountability, and minimum guarantees for every child, regardless of province. A child’s protection must be consistent across every province. Read the op-ed by @IftikharMubarik in The Friday Times: thefridaytimes.com/13-Feb-2026/de… #ChildProtection #ChildRights #PublicPolicy #Governance #Pakistan @reema_omer @AmberRShamsi @SwedenAmbPK @Karen__Reidy @NAofPakistan @SenatePakistan @anjamyrtveit @AyeshaRaza13 @nchrofficial @AzamNazeerTarar @mohrpakistan @CMShehbaz @RidaT_Law @sanidar786 @ABMPildat @SalmanSufi7

Punjab has notified the Child Marriage Restraint Ordinance 2026, establishing 18 years as the minimum legal age of marriage for both girls and boys. The law declares child marriage a cognizable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable offence, with enhanced penalties and provisions addressing child abuse and trafficking linked to child marriage. An important step. Implementation will be key. #ChildRights #EndChildMarriage #Punjab @GovtofPunjabPK @SarahAhmad_CPWB @AyeshaRaza13 @NCRC_Pakistan @nchrofficial @MaryamNSharif @RabiyaJaveri @NCSWPakistan

Search for Justice welcomes the notification of the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Ordinance 2026, establishing 18 years as the minimum legal age of marriage for both girls and boys. Child marriage is now a cognizable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable offence in Punjab. An important legislative step — effective implementation will be key. #ChildRights #EndChildMarriage #Punjab #ChildProtection @UNICEF_Pakistan @CRCAsia @UNChildRights1 @WomenDeliver @Malala @MalalaFundPK @JaneMarriottUK

In my op-ed, Protecting Children Online Without Excluding Them, I argue that children’s online safety is a child protection obligation — not a ban-first response. Children face real online harms, but blanket bans risk pushing them into unregulated spaces while shifting responsibility away from platforms and governments. What’s needed is regulation, platform accountability, privacy-by-design, and child-centred digital safety frameworks — not exclusion. thenews.pk/tns/detail/139… #ChildRights #OnlineSafety #DigitalRights #ChildProtection #Pakistan @NCRC_Pakistan @AyeshaRaza13 @cpwbpunjab @WeProtect @IWFhotline @ShSenGupta @SarahAhmad_CPWB @kpcpwc @SindhChild @mohrpakistan @AzamNazeerTarar @nchrofficial @EUPakistan

My latest op-ed in The Friday Times, “Invisible Children, Inconvenient Truths,” examines the sexual exploitation of children in street situations in light of the UN Special Rapporteur’s report and broader accountability challenges within child protection systems. I hope it contributes to ongoing reflection on how commitments can translate into real protection for the most marginalised children. 🔗 thefridaytimes.com/20-Jan-2026/in… #ChildRights #UNCRC #HumanRights #Accountability @MamaFatimaS @streetchildren @ArigatouGNRC @UNICEF_Pakistan @NCRC_Pakistan @cpwbpunjab @kpcpwc @SindhChild @dpr_gob @dureakram @anjamyrtveit @ChildRightsCnct @UNChildRights1 @UN_EndViolence @SRakotomalala

Another case of sexual abuse against a child domestic worker has been reported via @etribune . tribune.com.pk/story/2586984/… This once again shows how child domestic labour, hidden behind closed doors, leaves children vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. We urge strict prosecution, survivor-centred support, and decisive action to end child domestic labour in Pakistan. #EndChildDomesticLabour #ChildProtection #JusticeForChildren @NCRC_Pakistan @cpwbpunjab @mohrpakistan @GovtofPunjabPK

An excellent piece. The real challenge is not drafting new child protection laws, but ensuring the safeguards that make them enforceable. Without strong implementation and accountability, legislation remains symbolic. #ChildProtection #AllforChildren #SFJPK

Child protection is justice not charity yet budgets and policies still treat children as an afterthought despite global commitments. By Iftikhar Mubarik @IftikharMubarik Read more: thefridaytimes.com/04-Jan-2026/en… #ChildRights #EndViolenceAgainstChildren #CRC #HumanRights #SDGs #Justice

On the kind invitation of the Chairperson Child Protection & Welfare Bureau Punjab Ms. @SarahAhmad_CPWB I was honoured to join the inauguration of the Child Protection Institute in Sargodha. Strong, child-centred institutions and mechanisms are essential for the protection, care and rehabilitation of vulnerable children. @GovtofPunjabPK #ChildProtection #Sargodha #Punjab #Pakistan

Search for Justice expresses deep concern over the incidents of child abuse reported from Sahiwal via @dawn_com. Since arrests have been made, we urge the Chief Minister Punjab and relevant child rights and protection bodies to ensure effective prosecution under the law, along with regular follow-up and monitoring of the cases, and to provide survivors with immediate, trauma-informed protection and support services, with full respect for dignity and confidentiality. dawn.com/news/1965531/b… #ChildProtection #EndViolenceAgainstChildren #Punjab #Pakistan @MaryamNSharif @cpwbpunjab @SarahAhmad_CPWB @NCRC_Pakistan @AyeshaRaza13 @OfficialDPRPP @RpoSahiwal @IftikharMubarik

Our team member participated in a consultative meeting on Child Labour, convened by the National Commission on the Rights of the Child in collaboration with UNDP. A coordinated provincial action plan — embedded with social protection measures — is essential to end child labour and protect children from exploitation. #EndChildLabour #ChildRights #Pakistan @NCRC_Pakistan @UNDP_Pakistan @EUPakistan

Within human rights priorities, protecting children from violence, abuse, and exploitation must be treated as a funding and governance priority — not a cross-cutting afterthought. Donors, foundations, international partners, and governments must invest in child protection so global commitments translate into real protection for children. Read my Op-Ed in The Friday Times: @TFT_ thefridaytimes.com/04-Jan-2026/en… @UNICEF_Pakistan @PernilleMHarder @AzamNazeerTarar @Miqdadnaqvi @FriehaAltaf @EUPakistan @SwedeninPK @NorwayinPak @NLinPakistan @GermanyinPAK @BelgiumISB @FranceinPak @usembislamabad @USCGLahore @ukinpakistan @JaneMarriottUK @AusHCPak @PLinPakistan @irlembpakistan @AustriaInPAK @CZinPK @Mahnurqureshi

Appeared on @PublicNews_Com to discuss rising cases of child sexual abuse — and the critical gaps in our protection and response systems. We must strengthen governance through a child-protection lens, so institutions, laws, and services work together to prevent abuse and protect children in practice. #ChildProtection #EndChildAbuse #Pakistan @NCRC_Pakistan @cpwbpunjab @SindhChild @kpcpwc @FriehaAltaf @NJLahori @Sahil_NGO @MalikMAhmadKhan @USCGLahore @kishwarenam @Miqdadnaqvi @AzamNazeerTarar @BeBraveGlobal @anjamyrtveit @AUKhanOfficial1 @Mahnurqureshi @dawn_com @etribune @TheNewsonSunday @AroosaShaukat @UNICEF_Pakistan

Important judgment from the Lahore High Court reported by @dawn_com. Workplace harassment is determined by misuse of supervisory authority and its link to official work — not the physical location. The Court clarified (Section 2(n), 2010 Act) that situations connected to official duties remain “workplace” contexts even outside office premises — strengthening survivor protection and accountability. #SafeWorkplaces #GenderJustice #Accountability dawn.com/news/1962920 @wajihsheikh @SarahAhmad_CPWB @SFJPK @RashadaQureshi @Miqdadnaqvi @WaizaRafique @NCSWPakistan @pcswpb @jamshedmkazi @anjamyrtveit @fospah @fauziaviqar